📚🗓 Mid-Year Freakout Tag 2024 🗓📚

Thank you @cleopatras-library for the tag ☺️

How many books have you read so far?

10 novels, 2 graphic novels and uh, like 10 or more manga? I don't track all of them

What genres have you read?

Fantasy, historical, romance and mystery. Sometimes several of those in the same book

Best book you’ve read so far in 2024?

Probably The Briar Book Of The Dead, by A. G. Slatter if we're talking about novels only. But the graphic novel Rivages Lointains by Anaïs Flogny is just so good, I'm obsessed with it. If you can, please read it, it's French but it's been translated into English and Italian

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2023?

The only ones I've read were either manga or the full Dr. Greta Helsing trilogy by Vivian Shaw, which I've read back to back. So either that (book 3, Grave Importance), or the manga Requiem Of The Rose King, by Aya Kanno, that I reread and finally finished after YEARS (yes the ending ended ME)

New release you haven’t read yet, but want to

There are way too many, and I keep seeing more at work, I'm gonna die of frustration. Evocation by S. T. Gibson is eyeing me very strongly because of the internet. As is The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal, from where it's sitting on my coworker's display (it only came out in February in France)

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

I don't know honestly. The one book I was really waiting for this year was A Crane Among Wolves because I loved June Hur's previous books, and since I've read it now (it's very good btw), I'm not waiting for anything else

Update I learned something as I was writing this post: HEAVENLY TIRANT MIGHT STILL BE COMING OUT THIS YEAR???? DECEMBER 24????? MERRY FUCKING CHRISTMAS TO US???? HELLO?????? After Xiran told us the release date had been pushed back I thought for sure it would come out next year but apparently not so YEAH THAT'S MY MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE OF THE YEAR, PERIOD

Biggest disappointment

It's a toss between How To Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie, and A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft, for reasons that are very different. If it wasn't for that ending, How To Kill Your Family wouldn't even be there but unfortunately. And A Far Wilder Magic just wasn't for me. I didn't expect it to be YA romantasy so I was sorely disappointed

Biggest surprise

Probably A Sign Of Affection by Suu Morishita? Don't get me wrong, I love shoujo (I know, I don't like romance novels but I love shoujo, it makes no sense, don't look at me) and I thought I would like it but I didn't expect to like it this much

Book that made you cry

I cry so often when I read/watch/listen to things that it all gets mixed up in my memories. I think I cried for Rivages Lointains, I definitely cried for Requiem Of The Rose King HAHA. I might have cried for Run Away With Me, Girl by Battan, I'm not sure. All of those are manga by the way, I don't remember if I cried reading a novel this year

Book that made you happy

The Bandit Queens made me happy because the ending was great (unlike How To Kill Your Family) which healed me a little

Most beautiful book cover of a book you’ve read so far this year

Aaaaaaa I don't know. The cover (and sprayed edges) for the French edition of A Far Wilder Magic are a big part of why I even bought it in the first place, but also A Crane Among Wolves...... And of course Aya Kanno's art is just so beautiful, all the covers for the Requiem Of The Rose King series are 👌

How are you doing with your year’s goal?

I had set a goal of 40 on goodreads/storygraph but I might have underestimated how work would impact my reading habits. But also, I'm not dead set on reaching that goal, I just want to read

What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

I'd love to read more of the books I already own because it's becoming a problem. Other than that, there's no urgent need

That was fun so if anyone wants to join in, please feel free!

London book haul ✨

I had a list of books I wanted to buy and only 3 of those were on it, haha. It was Before the Coffee Gets Cold, The Jasmine Throne and I Wish You All the Best. I had spotted quite a few other books that sounded really good, but Where the Dark Stands Still, The Briar Book of the Dead and How to Solve Your Own Murder just stood out above the others

I've read I Wish You All the Best in the past (several times actually) and have a post about it, but I really wanted to own a physical copy because I love it so much. And I've also read The Briar Book of the Dead since I came back and loved it! I'm currently on How to Solve Your Own Murder, which is pretty intriguing so far

Recipe for a perfect wife, by Karma Brown

I thought this book was going take the "the house is haunted by the spirit of the 50's housewife" or even the "the house is alive" route because of some elements at the beginning but uh, they end up not mattering at all? So that was weird

It was an interesting read, but I didn't like Alice's character/story nearly as much as Nellie's. I didn't understand some of her actions and decisions, thought some were stupid. The parts I liked best about Alice's chapters were when Nellie was mentioned. I kinda wish it was more like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, in the way that Monique wasn't a big part of the story as a whole but she still had her stakes in it. I did like that, when Alice read Nellie's letters, you can tell there was more to what she was writing

Also, Nellie's chapters had my brain playing Paris Paloma's Labour on loop, it really fits the vibes. It also reminded me of the show Why Women Kill (at least the first season), which I loved. So if anyone has recs for similar book, please please please tell me, I'm desperate

French version under the cut

Strictly no heroics, by B. L. Radley

The writing was very reminiscent of tumblr folk tales, probably because B. L. Radley apparently used to(?) write on here. Or maybe I thought that because I knew Radley wrote on tumblr... Whichever it is, the vibes of the writing style were there, it was fun

It was also nice to have representation that doesn't end at "this character is gay, and this one is black": we get different gender and sexual identities, different body types (our MC doesn't have gressin limbs), different skin colors, Riley's sister even has a prosthetic leg. I feel like a lot of people would think it's too """woke""" but like, that's actually what the real world looks like outside of your bubble? Minorities are still a good chunk of the population and queer people do tend to band together, somehow. Anyways, I really liked that aspect of the story

The plot wasn't some convoluted evil master plan from some removed villain with the fate of the world at stake, it was closer to home (which makes sense given Riley and her lack of powers), so it was really refreshing and made the whole story seem way more realistic.

I'll definitely want to read more of Radley's works if they get more publishing deals after this one!

French version under the cut

A Natural History of Dragons, by Marie Brennan

I was scared that the memoirs format was going to be boring to read, but it was actually the best way to tell the life story of a woman who has lived so many adventures, I really liked it. The good thing about memoirs is that it allowed Isabella's personality to shine, especially her humor, and to have some hindsight on what happened. The teases about future events that she reveals later in the series really make you want to read what's next

Volume 1 introduces themes and ideas that I thought were fleshed out better later in the series, and what I considered as small flaws (a lot of things were repeated so many times I started thinking "yeah, okay, I get it") are way less prominent

As for Brennan's worldbuilding, it's deceptively simple at first glance (Victorian era but make it fantasy), but actually had so many details that make it extremely rich. Everything is inspired by countries/cultures from the real world, but Brennan mixed a lot of them and I thought it was really well executed. And the further along you get in the series, the more details sprinkled in the first 3 books come together to form the final picture. When I got to the end of book 4, I wanted to scream because of how delightful and well put together the reveals were

French version under the cut

Coraline, by Neil Gaiman & P. Craig Russell (Illustrator)

I've been wanting to read the book for a while, and then during my internship I started reading every Neil Gaiman comics I could get my hands on (minus Sandman and his work for DC). I really love the movie so seeing this version of Coraline was weird, but it helped me see them as two separate things, which was a plus. I've got to admit, I don't really remember my reading experience, I only remember liking it a lot and it making me want to rewatch the movie and finally read the book, haha

French version under the cut

Le Patient, by Timothé Le Boucher

Would I recommend it to anyone? Like all of Timothé Le Boucher's work, you've got to look up potential trigger warnings (you can always ask me by the way, I'll answer as best I can), but otherwise yeah, I'd definitely recommend it. Well, you've got to appreciate mind games, mysteries and horror but yeah

Level of (dis)satisfaction based on the summary and my expectations? I thought Le Patient had come out before Ces Jours qui Disparaissent so I thought Le Boucher's art and the overall plot would be between this and Dans les vestiaires. Turns out I was wrong, it came out after and it's even better, so I was pleasantly surprised

My thoughts on it? All of Thimoté Le Boucher's preferred themes are back, aka time, identity and memory. His characters are always complex and intriguing, and his way of telling a story by turning it on its head always impresses me. I want to read 47 Cordes so bad, but the end isn't out yet so I'm gonna wait, otherwise I'm going to suffer

French version under the cut

This might just be my favourite series of the year, I love it so much 🥺

Second queer manga rec for pride month!

The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy at All, by Arai Sumiko

Original title: Ki ni Natteru Hito ga Otoko ja Nakatta / 気になってる人が男じゃなかった

The premise of the story sounded really fun and the art was so good that I just HAD to give it a try and, let me tell you, it's absolutely worth the hype

The story is pretty simple but the way the characters and their relationship are handled is just so nice. I think it's a pretty refreshing story and I like that we get to have cute stories like this that aren't centered on the characters' sexuality but the characters' relationship. As I probably said in my Love Mix-up! review, darker stories on the struggles of being queer are great too, but I want to be able to just... breathe and have a nice time with classic romance tropes. After all, I enjoy romance manga way more than romance book (don't ask me why, I don't know) so it's always great to read queer romances like this

French version under the cut

Happy Pride Month everyone! As promised, here is our first queer manga rec of the month:

My Love Mix-Up!, by Hinekure Wataru & Aruko (illustrations)

This... THIS is a love triangle just how we like them. Also, can we give the Dumbass Bisexual of the Year Award to Aoki, plz? He deserves it and that's a compliment. I love him whith my whole being, okay?

I absolutely adored this title, Hashimoto, who is kind of our only female character, isn't just a numbskull whose only purpose is helping further Aoki and Ida's love story, she's a true friend to Aoki, has her own love story and a pretty cool character evolution. I'm pretty sure that Ida is on the aroace spectrum given some of his dialogue, and even if it's not explicitly stated, it still feels good.

We're in a manga that really sticks to the codes of classic shōjo manga, the only difference is that the main love story is about two boys. There isn't a strong focus on homophobia either, we only have a few tense moments when they think about revealing their relationship, I thought it was really soft. Sometimes it feels good to read something where bigotry isn't one of the main themes

French version under the cut